Son of the Mob
Written by Gordon Korman
Narrated by Max Casella
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
A reluctant Mafia prince . . .
Vince Luca is just like any other high school guy. His best friend, Alex, is trying to score vicariously through him; his brother is a giant pain; and his father keeps bugging him to get motivated. There is just one thing that really sets him apart for other kids - his father happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization.
Needless to say, while Vince's family's connections can be handy for certain things (like when teachers are afraid to give him a bad grade), they can put a serious crimp in his dating life. Who wants to explain to your girlfriend what your father does for a living? But when Vince meets a girl who finally seems to be worth the trouble, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of all. Because her father is an FBI agent - the one who has been watching Vince's family for years, and who wants to put his father away for good.
Gordon Korman
Gordon Korman published his first book at age fourteen and since then has written more than one hundred middle grade and teen novels. Favorites include the New York Times bestselling Ungifted, Supergifted, The Superteacher Project, The Unteachables, Pop, Notorious, Unplugged, Operation Do-Over, Slugfest, and the Masterminds series. Gordon lives with his family on Long Island, New York. You can visit him online at gordonkorman.com.
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Reviews for Son of the Mob
277 ratings23 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is for my young adult book discussion group. I enjoyed it - funny and fast moving story.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Light and fun - I can see why this is hugely popular.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Although as hilarious as any of Korman's books, this book is more appropriate for older readers. Of course, I started reading the author's books when I was 7, so "older" is a relative term. That's probably why these memorable characters reminded me of a mafia-based dinner theater I wrote, although I wish I'd thought of "Uncle Pampers" first. The writing style is believable, as if the book were a memoir from your average ambivalent son of a notorious mobster. Main character Vince Luca is ignored at school by everyone but his new girlfriend and his newly jealous best friend Alex. Poor Alex spends most of the book third wheeling with Vince and Kendra or watching Star Trek reruns in his basement. Vince's attempts to keep the family "business" a secret from Kendra only tangles him further in a web of ridiculousness. Ciao.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5While this seemed like it'd be a lot of fun - teenage boy, Vince, whose father is a notorious mob boss falls for the daughter of the FBI agents who's been trying to arrest Vince's dad for years - it fell flat for me.The premise is intriguing, but the author tried too hard for humor, which I normally love. Unfortunately, it really doesn't work in this story set-up. We're supposed to believe that while Vince's dad is a scary mob boss (Vince discovers some very unsettling things about men - 'uncles' - in his father's employ), he's an honest mob boss, and a sweet, caring dad who only wants what's best for his son, even if it means losing a lot of money. BULLS%*T. And we're supposed to believe that an FBI agent who's been tracking Vince's dad for YEARS is going to be just fine with his daughter dating this mob boss's son? MORE BULLS%*T.This was a selection for my teen book group, and they overwhelmingly hated the book, finding it boring, and the characters unbelievable and uninteresting. A coworker was disappointed - she'd read it years ago and found it fun, but I get the feeling my teens are getting used to reading these books more critically and found a lot lacking here....
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is a mix of mystery, romance, suspence, and just about everything else. I would highly suggest this book to young readers.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It doesn't take Vince Luca long in his life to find out that his dad is in the "vending machine business" or that the vending machine business has nothing to do with vending machines either. For one, he knows that his dad is an only child, but there always seem to be a few sinister-seeming Uncles around the house. That, and when his dad says a sarcastic good night to empty rooms, it's not hard to tell that the Luca house is bugged by the FBI. Yes, Vince Luca's dad is a mob kingpin, and it's causing Vince all sorts of problems, especially in his love life, like that time he took a girl to the beach, opened the trunk to get a blanket out, only to find one of his dad's roughed up debtors passed out in the trunk. Things are going to get worse, though, because Vince is falling for the daughter of the very same FBI agent that is trying to put his dad away for good.Son of the Mob is a great blend of the hilarious and the serious. Vince is a sympathetic and funny narrator caught between his dad's line of work, which always seems to be getting him in trouble and the comfortable life he leads because of it. It's hard to take a moral stand against the mob when his dad's income from it is what's putting food on the table. The story is littered with oddly named Uncles and their expected and unexpected exploits. The back story of Vince's dawning realization that his dad's line of work is a bit different than all the other kids' dads, not to mention the scrapes he's always getting into because of it, are all laugh out loud funny.In a strange sort of way, Son of the Mob is a convincing coming of age story. Vince has always had the mob in his life, but he's never worked out where he fits into his family's story. He knows that a criminal life isn't one he wants to lead, but he is still wrestling with how to reconcile that distaste for his dad's life with a son's inherent loyalty to a dad who, despite his illegal career, has taken care of him and cared about him all of his life. Vince's relationship with Kendra, the FBI agent's daughter, is less of a convincing love story than it is a plot device that throws all Vince's quandaries into sharp relief and forces him to face up to what his dad is doing and what he, Vince, is going to do about it.Ultimately, Son of the Mob is a funny story with heart and a serious coming of age component that almost takes you by surprise.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gordon Korman is the author of my favorite blisteringly-funny childhood book*, so I had pretty high expectations going into Son of the Mob, and he didn't disappoint.Trying (and mostly failing) to extricate oneself from the family 'vending machine' business is not an inherently humorous subject (see: The Godfather). But Korman succeeds with his deft characterization, especially in Vince, whose self-aware observations ground the madcap intensity rather than letting it devolve into a mere spoof.Such incidents such as a)getting caught by the police for the stolen car his parents gifted him for his 16th birthday, b)winning at football 'cause somebody had a little word with the opposing team, and c)finding his dream girl is the daughter of the FBI agent who's had his house bugged for as long as he can remember, are just flat out enjoyable. But Vince's struggle gains some real poignancy as he navigates through a smarty-designed plot which touches upon some impressive complexities (the guilt and ties of family and blood money and friendship in the mob and the FBI).The ending does seem a little incomplete; the novel clearly designed towards the sequel. But hey, sweet and proactive characters** that you can root for, and I laughed out loud a few times.*the woefully out-of-print I Want to Go Home!**Korman's teens, while generally refreshingly human-like, sometimes veer into the quaint with the slang and experience in technology, heh.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I was kind of hoping for a little more depth from this book, but nevertheless the comedy brought quite a few laughs.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5"Gritty" is not a word you associate with Gordon Korman, so I wondered how he'd pull off a story about a mob family. He manages by keeping most of the violence "offstage" and by telling the story from the point of view of Vince, who wants nothing to do with the mafia.I enjoyed the allusions to Romeo & Juliet (and even choked up at the "banishment" scene), but this story is really more about the relationship between a father and a son. Funny, engaging and touching.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I had read this years ago and read it again for my Book Club. It was just as great the second time through. So funny and yet it got you thinking about making one's own way in the world
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Vince, the heart-of-gold son of a mob boss, struggles with reality as he finds out more about what goes on behind the scenes in the family business. The emotions felt by Vince are realistic, but the situations he gets into are not only fantastic, but fantastically funny. I would recommend this book for mature 8th graders and all high schoolers (male and female).
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I liked this story. Vince is a smart kid and that makes the whole story more interesting. You can see how he could easily follow his fathers foot steps and be good at it but he has a heart & a conscience.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This funny teen novel has everything that I've come to expect from Gordon Korman. He excels in creating quirky characters in larger-than-life situations, and topping everything off with his trademark humor. Son of the Mob centers on Vince Luca, who is the son of an infamous mob boss and has spent his entire life knowing that the FBI has his home bugged. Vince spends most of the story struggling with his love for his family and his conflicting desire to live life on the straight and narrow. His dilemma only gets worse when he meets the girl of his dreams, Kendra, who just happens to be the daughter of the FBI agent investigating his family. He does his best to juggle his new girlfriend, jealous best friend, and demanding family with hilarious results. If you've read and enjoyed Gordon Korman before, you'll get what you're looking for here. If you've never read Gordon Korman, I'd encourage you to give him a try. (Although I have to admit to liking Born to Rock a little bit more.)
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Pretty good. I'm not a big fan of Korman. I think his subject matter often tends to pander toward lower instincts of mankind. I found this book to be above average for him. The characters seemed more well rounded and less caricatures. The plot was predictable and standard.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A very funny and engaging book -- kind of like The Sopranos lite. I'd never really thought upon the problems one would have in this kind of family, but Gordon Korman was both insightful and funny. The only fault I find is I could figure out many of the surprises many chapters ahead of time -- I actually mumbled "you %$#!ing moron" as I read, addressing the protagonist for being so clueless.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book made me laugh so hard. I didn't enjoy the sequel nearly as much as the original. This book seemed so original and feisty and fun. I imagine that most readers would get a kick out of it!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This the the first Gordon Korman book I've read in fifteen years. It was pretty funny. Not the squirt-Coke-out-my-nose-funny I remember from reading his books as a kid, but respectably funny. Boy meets girl, boy dates girl, girl is daughter of boy's family mortal enemy, hijinks ensue. I'd recommend this to people looking for something light and quick.The only real issue I had is that the plot is fairly transparent - I wasn't surprised once. Max Casella's reading was awesome!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vince DeLuca is the 17 year-old son of the New York crime boss and mafia don Tommy DeLuca. But Vince wants nothing to do with the family business because it gets in the way of his life. When Vince gets a girl to agree to go to the beach to make out, he finds the blanket he packed in the trunk wrapped around a body-- which ends that relationship. He can't even play football because he realizes the opposing team is afraid to tackle him for fear his dad will have them whacked. However, despite his desire to stay out of the family business, Vince can't help but stick up for some of the people his uncles are putting pressure on. To make matters more complicated, Vince realizes the girl he's starting to date is the daughter of the FBI agent who is trying to put his dad behind bars-- agent BiteMe. The story is told in the first person, and like most Gordon Korman stories, is full of laughs and is a very enjoyable read. However, like other Gordon Korman stories (most notably Born to Rock), the narrative touches the surface of a number of issues but goes no deeper.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is definitely a book boys will enjoy. The characters are interesting and the plot is very Soparnosesque. The main character is the son of the town's mob boss, a life he wants nothing to do with, but he gets caught up in his father's life when those who owe his father money want him to be the go between. Life gets more complicated when he finds out that his girlfriend's father is "their FBI" agent.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love story told through the eyes of the male! He's the son of the mob boss, she's the daughter of the FBI agent in charge of his father's case. Well, since he likes this girl so much, he gets himself into a lot of trouble poking his nose in his fathers business as he alternates between trying to play it low and impress the girl.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Took me a couple chapters to get into it but a nice reveal I didn't see coming.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was a pretty entertaining story. It has lots of humor which isn't quite the norm for a mob story. I enjoyed it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Vince tries to have a normal teenager life. This is very difficult when you Dad is a big-time mobster. It even gets more difficult when you start dating a FBI agent’s daughter. Vince doesn’t want to join the family business, but starts getting in deeper and deeper. How he deals with his family and friends makes for one hilarious book. It is even believable.